µ
This section gives you important
inf ormation about how to protect
yourself and your passenger. It
shows you how to use seat belts. It
explains how your airbags work. And
it tells you how to properly restrain
children in your vehicle. .........
Important Safety Precautions . 6
.......
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features . 7
.......................................
Seat Belts .8
...........................................
Airbags .9
.........
Protecting Adults and Teens . 10
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors . 10
......................
2. Adjust the Seats .10
............
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs . 11
4. Fasten and Position the .............................
Seat Belts .12
5. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .13
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women . 14
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 15
Additional Inf ormation About .......................
Your Seat Belts .16
..
Seat Belt System Components . 16
......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .17
Automatic Seat Belt ...............................
Tensioners .18
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance . 18
Additional Inf ormation About Your .....................................
Airbags .20
......
Airbag System Components . 20
...........
How Your Airbags Work . 22
..
How the SRS Indicator Works . 25How the Passenger Airbag Of f
......................
Indicator Works .26
.............................
Airbag Service .27
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 28
Protecting Children General ................................
Guidelines .29
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .29
Your Vehicle is Not Recommended f or Child ..........................
Passengers .30
The Passenger’s Airbag .........
Can Pose Serious Risks . 30
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 32
.............
Protecting Small Children . 33
.....................
Selecting a Child Seat .34
....................
Installing a Child Seat .34
...........
Protecting Larger Children . 37
...............
Checking Seat Belt Fit . 37
..................
Using a Booster Seat . 38
When Can a Larger Child Ride ........................
in This Vehicle .39
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 40
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 41
...................................
Saf ety Labels .42
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
5
µ
You’ll
find many safety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
Therecommendationsonthispage
are the ones we consider to be the
most important.
A seat belt is your best protection in
all typ es of collisions. Airbags are
designed to supplement seat belts,
not replace them. So even though
your vehicle is equipped with airbags,
make sure you and your passenger
always wear your seat belts, and
wear them properly (see page ).
Since all children are safest in the
back seat of a vehicle, and your
vehicle does not have a back seat, we
recommend that you do not carry a
child passenger. Excessive
speed is a maj or factor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed, the greater the
risk, but serious injuries can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
faster than is safe for current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
Having a tire blowout or a
mech anical failure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility
of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition frequently,
and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance (see page ).
If
an older child must ride in this
vehicle, follow all child safety
instru ctions and warnings in this
manual (see pages ).
While airbags can save lives, they
can cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Inf ants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be
sure to f ollow all instructions and
warnings in this manual.
Alcohol and driving don’t mix. Even
one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions, and
your reaction time gets worse with
every additional drink. So don’t drink
and drive, and don’t let your f riends
drink and drive, either.
12 29 40
134
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
Your Vehicle is Not
Recommended f or Child
Passengers Control Your Speed
K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition
Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
Don’t Drink and Drive
Never carry an inf ant in a rear-f acing
child seat in t his vehicle.
6
Your vehicle is equipped with seat
belts in both seating positions.Keep you f rom being thrown out
of the vehicle.
Help keep you in a good position
should the airbags ever deploy. A
good position reduces the risk of
injury f rom an inf lating airbag and
allows you to get the best
advantage f rom the airbag.
Of course, seat belts cannot
completely protect you in every
crash.Butinmostcases,seatbelts
can reduce your risk of serious
injury.
Seat belts have proven to be the
singlemosteffectivesafetydevice
f or adults and larger children.
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts. When properly worn, seat belts:
Keep you connected to the vehicle
so you can take advantage of the
vehicle’s built-in saf ety f eatures.
Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including f rontal,
side, and rear impacts and
rollovers. Always wear
your seat belt, and make sure you
wear it properly. Help keep you f rom being thrown
against the inside of the vehicle
and against a passenger.
Your seat belt system also includes
an indicator on the instrument panel
and a beeper to remind you and your
passengers to f asten your seat belts.
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Seat Belts
Why Wear Seat Belt s
What you should do:
8
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
Be sure you and your
passenger always wear seat
belts and wear them properly.
µAdjust the driver’s seat as far to the
rear as possible while allowing you to
maintain full control of the vehicl e.
Have a passenger adjust his or her
seat as far to the rear as possible.
Lo
cking the doors reduces the
ch ance of someone being thro wn out
of the vehicle during a crash, and it
helps prevent a passenger from
accidentally opening a door and
falling out.
Lo cking the doors also helps prevent
an outsider from unexp ectedly
opening a door when you come to a
stop.
See page for how to lock the
doors, and page for how the door-
open indicator works.
If you sit too close to the steering
wh eel or dashboard, you can be
seriously injured by an inflating front
ai rbag, or by striking the steering
wh eel or dashboard.
The
following pages pro vide
instru ctions on how to properly
protect the driver, an adult
passenger or teenage child large
enough and mature enough to drive
or ride in your vehicle. See pages f or important guidelines on
how to properly protect a child in a
forward-facing child seat or a larger
child passenger.
Your vehicle has door and trunk
monitor indicators on the instrument
panel to indicate when either door or
the trunk is not tightly closed. After everyone has entered the
vehicle, be sure the doors are closed
and locked. 40
6347
29
Protecting A dults and Teens
Adjust the Seats
Introduction
Close and L ock the Doors
1. 2.
10
When driving, remember to sit
upright and adjust the seat as f ar
back as possible while allowing f ull
control of the vehicle. When riding
as a passenger, adjust the seat as far
back as possible.
This will reduce the risk of injuries
to both you and your unborn child
that can be caused by a crash or an
inflating front airbag.
Each time you have a checkup, ask
your doctor if it’s okay f or you to
drive.
If you are pregnant, the best way to
protect yourself and your unborn
child when driving or riding in a
vehicle is to always wear a seat belt,
and keep the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across the hips.
In addition, an occupant who is out of
position can be seriously or f atally
injured in a crash by striking interior
parts of the vehicle or being struck
by an inflating front airbag.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Advice f or Pregnant Women
14
Sitting improperly or out of
position can result in serious
injury or death in a crash.
Always sit upright, well back in
the seat, with your feet on the
floor.
Your seat belt system includes lap/
shoulder belts in both seating
positions. The seat belts are also
equipped with automatic seat belt
tensioners.
This system uses the same sensors
as the front airbags to monitor
whether the seat belts are latched or
unlatch ed, and how much weight is
on the passenger’s seat (see page ).
The seat belt system
includes an indicator on the
instrument panel and a beeper to
remind you and your passenger to
f asten your seat belts.
This system monitors the seat belts.
If you turn the ignition switch to the
ON (II) position bef ore your seat
belt is f astened, the beeper will
sound and the indicator will f lash. If
your seat belt is not f astened bef ore the beeper stops, the indicator will
stop f lashing but remain on.
If a passenger does not f asten their
seat belt, the indicator will come on
about 6 seconds af ter the ignition
switch is turned to the ON (II)
position.
If eitherthedriverorpassengerdoes
not f asten their seat belt, the beeper
will sound and the indicator will f lash
again at regular intervals.
When no one is sitting in the
passenger’s seat, or a child or small
adult is riding there, the indicator
should not come on and the beeper
should not sound.
If the indicator comes on or the
beeper sounds when the driver’s seat
belt is latched and there is no
passenger and no items on the
passenger’s seat, something may be
interf ering with the monitoring
system. Look f or and remove:
If no obstructions are found, have
your vehicle checked by a dealer.
Any object touching the rear of
the seat-back. Any objects hanging on the seat.
Any items under the passenger’s
seat.
24
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Seat Belt System Components
16
The lap and shoulder belt goes over
your shoulder, across your chest,
and across your hips.
To fasten the belt, insert the latch
plate into the buckl e, then tug on the
belt to make sure the buckle is
latched (see page for how to
properly position the belt).
To unlock the belt, press the red
PRESSbuttononthebuckle.Guide
the belt across your body so that it
retracts completely. After exiting the
vehicle, be sure the belt is out of the
way and will not get closed in the
door. Both
seat belts have an emergency
retracto r. In norm al driving, the
retractor lets you move freely in your
seat while it keeps some tension on
the belt. During a collision or sudden
stop, the retractor automatically
locks the belt to help restrain your
body.
The passenger’s seat belt has a
lockable retractor that must be
activated to secure a forward-facing
child seat (see page ).
If the shoulder part of the belt is
pulled all the way out, the lockable
retractor will activate. The belt will
retract, but it will not allow the
passenger to move f reely.
To deactivate the lockable retractor,
unlatch the buckle and let the seat
belt fully retract. To refasten the
seat belt, pull it out only as f ar as
needed.
12
34
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
L ap/Shoulder Belt
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
17
Emergency backup power in case
your vehicle’s electrical system is
disconnected in a crash.
Your
airbag system includes: An indicator on the dashboard that
alerts you that the passenger’s
airbag has been turned off (see
page ).
Automatic seat belt tensioners
(see page ).
Sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe front impact.
Sensors that can detect whether
the driver’s seat belt and the
passenger’s seat belt are latched
or unlatch ed (see page ). A
sophisticated electronic system
that continually monitors and
reco rds information about the
sensors, the control unit, the
airbag activators, the seat belt
tensioners, and driver and
passenger seat belt use when the
ignition switch is in the ON (II)
position.
An indicator on the instrument
panel that alerts you to a possible
problem with your airbags,
sensors, or seat belt tensioners
(see page ).
A
driver’s seat position sensor that
monitors the distance of the seat
from the airbag. If the seat is too
far forward, the airbag will inflate
with less force (see page ). Weight
sensors that monitor the
weight on the passenger’s seat. If
the weight is about 65 lbs (29 kg)
or less (the weight of an infant or
small child), the passenger’s
airbag will be turned off (see page
).
Two SRS (supplemental restraint
system) airbags. The driver’s
airbag is stored in the center of
the steering wheel; the passenger’s
airbag is stored in the dashboard.
Both are marked ‘‘SRS AIRBAG.’’ 26
16
18
24
25
24
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
21